Rules to Follow
by The Lost Winter
Summary: Tony Stark adopts a strange child with ties to an even stranger military operation.
1. Chapter 1

I've been thinking about writing an Ironman story ever since I saw the movie. Which was great :D I just thought I'd see what people thought of it, if everyone seems to like my story, I'll continue

I already have a couple of chapters so updates should go smoothly, for a while at least. Reviews are very welcome, and even suggestions of how the story should progress :)

I think it goes with out saying, or writing.. but I own none of the characters

"I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this-"

"-Shut up already, we all know!" A small girl turned to the voice that had interrupted her, eyes glaring and bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Keep it to yourself." The source of the voice, a young man with all of his dark brown hair shaved close to his head, turned away from the girl and began jogging away.

"No you don't." She mumbled in retort, knowing that he wouldn't hear her.

She was one of many in the large room, surrounded by white walls and florescent lighting; though she was the only child. Standing on an Olympic sized track as a group of young men and women ran by her, she seemed very out of place. They all wore matching shorts and shirts, standard issue for military. They all had there head's shaved, standard practice. But the girl seemed to be no more the five years old, which was well below the standard eighteen.

The adults continued running around the track, most not even glancing in her direction; some watched her carefully, as if curious to what she would do next. She crossed her arms stubbornly and stood still in the centre of the path. The same young man who had spoken to her before was about to lap her when he stopped and looked down at the girl. He towered above her, something she seemed aware of as she stood taller.

"You'll get in trouble again if you don't start doing your laps," he sounded more gentle then he had before.

"Yeah, well, not like I care. There's really nothing left for them to do to me," she grumbled in reply. She turned her gaze from his disapproving look to the synthetic floor and fidgeted uneasily, as she always did under scrutiny.

"There's always something to take away, you should know.." He looked around quickly, checking if they had been noticed yet. "C'mon, laps are easy." When she still didn't budge he sighed. "I thought you were the smart one, don't be stupid."

"I am smart, I know that there's no point.. in anything," she looked back up at him defiantly.

"Yes, tragic. If you get in trouble again, I won't help you." He grunted in frustration and continued to run around the giant oval.

"Private!" The girl turned around sharply to the older man who had shouted, undoubtedly at her. He stood at the entrance of the giant room, his light grey hair a sharp contrast to the dark green army uniform he wore. The many metals and pins on his breast a sign of his high ranking. She sighed in defeat, and started a light jog over to him. The others in the room continued to run as though nothing had happened.

"Yes, Sir?" She said standing tall, feet together, and looking straight ahead, exactly as she had been taught to. She had her hand held to her forehead in salute, and the other hand stayed obediently at her side.

"Don't feel like running laps today?" He asked the child sarcastically. "Well, we'll deal with that later, you've been called to the Med Room for a check-up." He paused as he scanned the room and nodded in satisfaction. "You are to report there immediately, you're to remain there until after lunch period, understood Private?"

"Yes, Sir!" She knew better then to argue with her superiors. After what had happened the last time she had tried to stand up to the officers, she didn't want to repeat the punishment she had received.

"Good, you are dismissed." He wasn't even watching her as she saluted again and walked to the doors.

The girl walked out of the room and into an equally plain white hallway, wondering what was going on. She was never sent to the med room for check-ups during training. Check-ups were a part of her punishment and happened on her free time. She hated that fact, but the actual check up wasn't that bad. A blood and tissue sample being the worst parts, needles were a form of torture, she was sure.

But at the end she always got a treat, candy or chocolate, and the doctors were surprisingly kind to her.

She realized that something must be going on, and a smirk crossed her childish features as she slowed her pace. She knew by the manner in which she had been sent away, there was nothing wrong with her. They were sending her away because they didn't want her to be seen, by whom she didn't know. The child grinned, a plan forming, albeit a simple one.

The girl continued her walk down the long hallways and turned left at the second intersection. With a confident walk, she looked like she knew exactly where she was suppose to be going, and of the few adults she passed, none gave her much attention. She turned left again at the second intersection and made sure there was no one around to see her. Short legs carried her on at a slow pace, trying to drag out a bit of time before she got to where she was going. She took yet another left and saw her destination, the same door she had come from.

Her little trip had taken her about twenty minutes, the halls were long and she had been really really slow. Luck had made sure she wasn't caught where she wasn't suppose to be. She stepped over to the door and opened it only slightly, so she could peer in without being noticed.

"So what's the big deal," she muttered to herself, looking in she didn't notice anything out of place. The soldiers were now sparring, something that she had been good at before. She glared down at her tiny body, and sighed.

"They're very good," a strange voice brought her out of her own thoughts. "Might even give me a run for my money."

"They're only soldiers, Mr. Stark. But perhaps one day they will fight alongside you." She easily knew the voice of Lieutenant Parnell, the man who had sent her off to the doctors. But not the other, she gently pushed the door open wider to get a better look.

A tall man with wild black hair stood next to Parnell, watching her fellow soldiers fight. He wore a dark suit, it gently reflected the lights and seemed very expensive. He chuckled at the other man's words and looked around, as though bored. She froze as he turned and saw her standing at the door. The girl remained still, hoping he wouldn't see her, knowing that he already had.

"Hey you!" He called out, stepping toward the door.

"Shit," the little girl mumbled as the door was thrown open and she was revealed. He froze at the sight of a child and stared at her with confusion obvious on his face. She stared up at him in terror, her previous confidence forgotten. Her eyes darted between him and the Lieutenant, who seemed surprised at the moment. But she knew it wouldn't last too long.

"Uhhh, Hi!" She chirped, trying to sound normal. She tried to stall, knowing she was going to be in a lot of trouble for this. "Who are you?" She asked as she tilted her head to a side quizzingly.

"I'm Tony Stark," he introduced himself then turned to Parnell. "You let kids in here?" He seemed confused.

"No," The Lieutenant walked over to them and looked the girl in the eye. She stood at attention and saluted, just as she had been taught when approached by a superior officer. Tony frowned at the action, crossing his arms. "You may wait for me in the-"

"This child is a soldier here?" Mr. Stark interrupted the Lieutenant. The girl's eye's widened in shock, he didn't know anything about her. This was Tony Stark, she had heard of him, he was the genius weapon developer, also known as Iron Man. He was the reason for the tiny army of elite soldiers she was a member of, and she knew he didn't know what they were for. She waited for the Lieutenant's response, while thinking of her next move. At least she knew why she had been sent away.

"No, this is an orphan of one of our officers," He explained to the other man. "The child likes to play soldier, but isn't suppose to be so close to the training facility. I shall be back once I deal with this situation, Mr. Stark."

"I didn't know you kept orphans here, Lieutenant Parnell." The man knew something was wrong with the situation, and knelt down on one knee to look the five year old in the eyes. "What's you're name, little man?"

"I'm a girl," The girl pouted, resenting her shaved hair. The Lieutenant looked as though he was about to explode, he ground his teeth and she could feel his resentment toward her. "And my name's Alexis" She glanced up at the fuming officer and dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Oh, sorry kid," Tony apologized for calling her a boy. "You don't see many little girls with their heads shaved, playing pretend soldier." He patted her head and she looked back up at him in surprise, she wasn't accustomed to actually being treated like a child. He watched her reaction carefully, his brow furrowed in thought. "Shouldn't she be in a foster home, Lieutenant?" He stood back up and turned to the other man.

"Well it all happened quite recently, Mr. Stark." He paused and cleared his throat. "Perhaps we shouldn't discuss this in front of the child."

"Hmm, I see." Tony looked back at the soldiers, who hadn't stopped the sparring session. Alexis's heart sank, it was over, she wished she had just gone to the Med Room after all. Casual conversation and maybe a piece of candy would have been better then knowing what was going on. She had thrown away her life, as she was sure she wouldn't be alive after this was over, to satisfy her curiosity. "I'd like to adopt her."

"What?!" Parnell nearly choked on his words. "Mr. Stark, you can't be serious.."

"Why wouldn't I be? If she's an orphan, I don't see the problem. Surely you don't think I would make a bad parent."

"We are currently waiting for her family to collect her." He explained.

"Really?!" The girl jumped up and down at his words, hoping she was acting like a typical five year old. "Mommy said we were special cause we didn't have any other family.. we were.." she pretended to stumble on her word "Unique!" She grinned up at the officer, who barley controlled his anger. She saw her opportunity to escape from the base and wanted to leave with Mr. Stark. She had been forced into this life and wanted out of it. In fact her first attempt to escape was what she had done to deserve the tiny body she now called her own. Her punishment. Before that she had been as old as the rest of the soldiers. She had come so close to success that it scared the higher ranking officers, and they made an example of her. There was no way a child could escape a compound like the one she was in, so everyone had thought.

"Well, they can't be that close then," Tony chuckled. "I'd like to talk to speak to the General about this, Lieutenant. I think I've seen enough of the new recruits." He turned to the little girl. "Come on, kiddo." He walked out of the door, with Alexis following. The Lieutenant growled and walked briskly out of the room, quickly passing them and leading the way to the General's office.

She turned on the way out to see the shocked expressions of many of her fellow soldiers as she left.

She had only seen the General a few times, once after the attempted escape. Alexis looked up at Mr. Stark, he wore a smirk of someone who knew they would get what they wanted. She hoped for her sake that he would.

"Sir!" The Lieutenant saluted as he pushed open the door of the office and walked in. Tony followed and motioned for the girl to stand close to him. "Mr. Stark would like a word with you, General."

The General looked up from his desk and saw the young soldier standing next to Tony Stark, but if he was surprised he didn't let it show. "Tony," He greeted. " How are you?" He smiled at the man as though they were good friends.

"Hello John," Tony smiled back. " I'm doing well, just had a look at your soldiers. They're pretty good."

"Yes, well, they'll have to be, with all these new threats." The General looked serious for a moment before smiling again. "So What's so important that it couldn't wait for our lunch meeting?"

"Ah yes," Tony looked down at Alexis and smiled. "I've been told that this child is an orphan with no other family to look after her."

The General paused for a moment before nodding his head, "Yes, tragically."

Tony nodded, "I'd like to adopt her." He stated bluntly.

"Tony," The General laughed. "You must be joking."

"No, John, I'm not. It's about time I became a father, I'd like to have someone to pass the business down to, and I don't know how I would manage raising an infant." his tone made sure the other man knew he was serious.

"No offence intended, but.. We all know about your lifestyle, Tony. You really think that's a good way to raise a child?"

"I'm getting older, It's about time I settled down." He paused and sighed. "Look, John. I know I don't have the best reputation, but you have to admit I'm a better choice then a lot of the people who have kids out there." He smiled and scooped the girl up into his arms, startling her. "And she'll be far better off with me then a foster home where she'll probably end up, you know how people only want to adopt babies."

Alexis looked over at the General, the man scared her and was now contemplating her with a cold stare. She looked away and tried to think of what a five year old might do. Under the gaze of everyone in the room she felt extremely uncomfortable and began to play with Mr. Stark's tie.

"Tony, I don't know if you understand what taking care of a child entails." The General tried to convince him his decision was wrong. "You can't just hire a nanny and leave."

"I know, just trust me John," his eye's narrowed and he almost glared at the other man. "I've done a lot for this military over the years, I would hate to have to stop because you didn't trust me to look after a little girl when I've been looking after a country."

The General sighed, "All right, Tony. She's yours."

Alexis almost cheered, she looked to the man who had 'adopted' her with wide eyes. He smiled and patted her head affectionately, he was sure that something strange was going on at this base, and that the little girl was a part of it.

"Thanks, John." He said with a grin. "I assume you'll send the adoption papers?"

"Yes, I'll send them to your assistant. Did you want to continue the tour, Tony? Or shall we call it a day?"

"I think I've seen enough. I better get this one to her new home." He continued to hold the girl in his arms, she avoided looking at anyone. "You're going to come live with me from now on, Kiddo. Do you have anything special you'd like to bring with you?" She looked up at his face and realized for the first time that Mr. Stark was actually incredibly attractive. The thought brought a slight blush to her cheeks and she shook her head no. He just laughed and turned back to the General. " I'll have to catch up with you later, John." He waved and started out of the room, the Lieutenant behind him.

"Good-bye, Tony" The General waved back distractedly. He growled with frustration when they had left and picked up the phone.

They were escorted off of the military base by Lieutenant Parnell, Tony wearing a self satisfied smirk. There was no doubt in the small girl's mind that he always got what he wanted, she looked to Parnell, who was looking stiffly ahead as he led the way. Tony continued to carry her as they left the base, the large exit doors were thrown open for them to pass. Sunlight and a warm wind blasted into Alexis, she grinned and took a large breath. She had been inside for far too long.

The sky was bright blue and looked almost transparent, with a few light clouds smeared across it's surface. The air smelled of wild flowers and dirt, and the light breeze stirred it around the small girl and the man. They were in a desert. The light brown sand and dirt ground stretched all the way to the sky in the distance, dotted with the occasional plant life.

A red Ferrari stood alone on the single road in front of the building, it's polished exterior reflecting the bright sunlight. Mr. Stark walked directly over to it without hesitation, the girl knew that it must be his car. He gently set her down in the back seat of the sport car and turned back to the Lieutenant. She scrambled to look over the side of the door, sitting up on her knees to be tall enough and holding onto the top of the door for balance.

"Thank you for the tour, Lieutenant Parnell." He said formally, shaking the man's hand as he did so. "It was very informative."

"My pleasure, Mr. Stark." The response was just as formal. The Lieutenant saluted him as he turned away and opened the driver side door of the car. Alexis couldn't keep the grin off of her face as she watched the scene. Tony shut the door after climbing in and turned back to her.

"Seat-belt on," He said with a grin. He turned and put his on as well. Alexis put her seat-belt on quickly, she figured he had a sport car for a reason. "See ya, Parnell!" He yelled back as he slammed on the gas pedal and they shot forward down the dusty road.

She giggled at the sensation of her stomach being left behind, it felt like a roller coaster. She almost felt like she was dreaming, finally she was free of that place. Something told her that it wouldn't be so easy, but she was confident that she'd be all right with such a powerful figure as Tony Stark.

Alexis tried to see over the door while being tethered down to the seat, she wanted to see the desert zipping by them, but couldn't seem to stretch her neck high enough. Tony seemed to be enjoying the rush of the wind and turned the stereo on, the sound of rock music blasted from the speakers in the front and back. She was glad for them both that she wasn't an ordinary child.

"Having fun, kid?" He yelled over the music and the rushing wind, looking back at the small child in the back seat. She grinned and nodded in reply, knowing her own voice wouldn't carry over all the noise. He smirked and turned back to the road, much to the girl's relief.

She yawned, she was beginning to get a little bored. Her eye's started to droop, heavy from all that had occurred already that day. It was barley noon, and the sun was high in the sky, but still the girl closed her eyes and fell asleep in the seat of the noisy car.


	2. Chapter 2

Well I got one review, but it was a good one. So, if only for one person, I will continue the story :D I still don't have a title for it yet.. I'm hoping it'll come to me in a dream, or something.

I'm sorry it kinda starts out slow, the story picks up as it goes along.

I also figured out the line thingy to separate the story from my rants, Yay me! It only took me a couple days... :P

Anyways, please review. Reviews make me feel obligated to update faster.

* * *

"Hey, kid! Wake up!"

A small groan escaped from the child as she woke up, her eyes squinting against the bright afternoon sun. She looked around in confusion as to where she was, the back of a car was all that was obvious.

Then she remembered. She was out of the military, and in the care of a billionaire super-hero. She grinned, things weren't going too badly. Alexis looked up to the man who has woken her up, he was still driving and now looking back at her again. She raised a single brow at his unsafe driving habit and tilted her head to the side slightly, silently questioning him why he had woken her up.

Tony burst out laughing at the expression on the child's face. "We're here," he said as they drove up to an immense building. Her eyes went wide as she realized that it must be Mr. Stark's home. She slipped out of the seat-belt still around her and stood up on her seat to see better. The car slowly pulled into the driveway, Tony had noticed the girl standing in the car and drove more carefully. He stopped the car and got out, stretching his arms as he did so. She stared up at the house in awe, not noticing that she was being watched until Mr. Stark cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to get her attention.

The little girl turned to him and he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her over the car door and setting her back on the ground. She blushed a bit, not used to being carried around at all. Looking up she noticed Mr. Stark watching her reaction and shifted her gaze to the ground uncomfortably.

"Come on, I'll show you around." He smiled reassuringly and took her small hand in his own.

Alexis let him lead her into the modern home, looking around at everything as they entered. The place was huge, especially from the three and a half foot tall view of a five year old. They walked through the bright front room to what the girl assumed was the living room. A window stretched from the roof to the floor letting in the bright light as well as the spectacular view. A large television took up one wall, and expensive looking furniture surrounded it. She could see the kitchen through a doorway to her left and stairs down a hall to her right.

"Mr. Stark," A voice caught her attention and she turned to see a very attractive woman in a business suit and heels. She was tall and her straight red hair was tied back, not a strand stuck out. Looking down at a blackberry phone, she had yet to notice the small child holding Tony's hand. "I'm glad you're back, your four o'clock was moved to three, so you'll have to-"

"Ms. Potts, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Tony interrupted her.

"It will have to wait Mr. Stark, I'm a little busy..." The woman trailed off as she looked up for the first time and saw the girl. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise. She looked around the room, trying to find the child's parents. "Tony.. Who's child is this?"

"Mine." He grinned at the woman as he lifted the girl up again and held her on his hip. "You're always saying I should be more responsible, so what's more responsible then raising a kid?"

"W-What?" Shaking her head Ms. Potts walked up to him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you serious, Tony?"

"Of course I am, I wish everyone would stop asking me that." He sighed. Ms. Potts leaned in closer to look at the girl, who squirmed under her stare.

"You have a son?" She looked back to her boss. "Who's the mother?"

"Daughter."

"What?"

"I have a daughter, she's a girl," he explained. "I adopted her, so I'm not sure who her mother is." There was no trace of a smile left on his face as he watched Ms. Potts for her reaction.

"Tony Stark you.. you cannot raise a child," The woman shook her head as though affirming what she said.

His eyes went cold, the little girl in his arms tensed, knowing that he was angry. "Why not, Ms. Potts? I am a grown man after all. I own one of the biggest companies in the world, the world that I am constantly saving by the way. So why can't I raise a child?"

"All of the reasons you just listed, Mr. Stark. How will you look after a little girl while doing all of that?" She purposely left out his late nights spent partying and drinking and continued on. "Children need attention, and stability."

"I'll manage," He said shortly. Alexis played with his tie as though it was the most interesting thing in the world, not wanting to be brought into the argument. She still wasn't sure how to properly act like a five year old. There was a pause as neither of them said anything, neither backing down.

Ms. Potts sighed and turned to the little girl. "What's you're name, sweetie?" she smiled at the girl warmly. She knew when to let Tony have his own way, and now was one of those times.

"Alexis," the reply was almost to quiet for anyone to hear, but the woman caught it.

"Ah, well my name's Pepper, it's nice to meet you." Pepper smiled at the child again. She turned to Mr. Stark, "Shall I cancel the meeting then?"

"Please, Ms. Potts." Tony placed his new ward down and turned to his assistant. "I suppose this one will need some new clothes as well."

"Yes, Mr. Stark." Pepper nodded as she made a note in her blackberry. She also made a note to have someone named Rhodes come talk to Tony later. Alexis's attention was quickly caught up by the view of the water outside of the window, across which lay a busy city. She wondered what city it was, not having left the base at all in her stay, she also realized that she wasn't even sure what ocean it was. But the view was beautiful, and the little girl had wandered over to the window before she knew what she was doing.

"Alexis," Ms. Pott's voice woke her from her daydreaming. "Will you put your arms out for me like this?" Pepper held her arms out at her sides to demonstrate what she wanted the child to do. The little girl tilted her head to the side as she did when she wasn't sure of something. "I need to know how big you are so I can get you new clothes." She explained, smiling at the child.

"Ok..." Alexis held out her arms as Pepper had instructed her to. Ms. Potts quickly summed up how tall she was and made another note.

"Alright," she put her phone in her pocket and smiled again at the girl. "Will that be all Mr. Stark?" she asked as she walked toward the door, pausing at the exit for his reply.

"Yes, Ms. Potts. Thank you." Tony watched her leave. He sighed when she had gone, but quickly put on a smile. "So want to see the rest of the house?" he asked with a smirk, knowing what the answer would be. Alexis nodded her head and ran to his side, a habit she had developed in training. She peered up at him shyly, and he just smiled and took her hand in his once more.

He led her down the hall first, and up the stairs. She had never even thought about how stairs would be difficult now, and pouted as she nearly tripped on the way up.

"You don't talk very much do you?" Tony asked her as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Uh, I guess not.." her words sounded childish in her ears and she almost didn't believe it was her own voice. But she felt that way a lot.

"That's ok," He got one one knee so they were eye to eye. "I know it's hard to lose your parents, but I'm here to help."

"Thanks, Mr. Stark," she said softly, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. He smiled and patted her head.

"And one more thing," He paused. "No calling me Mr. Stark. You can call me Tony or whatever, just not Mr. Stark. Alright?" she smiled and nodded her head. "Good." He stood up and held her hand again.

He continued on the tour, showing her the rooms on the second floor, bathroom, guest rooms. Alexis was sure that she'd get lost a few times before she learned her way around the mansion. They stopped in front of a door at the end of the building.

"This is my room," he opened the door to another room with an amazing view. Alexis let go of his hand and wandered inside. The room was fairly plain, just a king-sized bed in the centre of the room, covered in a dark duvet. A night-stand next to it with a single framed picture of a couple, smiling into the camera.

"Are you really Iron Man?" She blurted out suddenly, as the question popped into her head.

"Yeah, I am," Tony laughed, surprised that the little girl even knew about Iron Man. "How do you know about Iron Man?"

"Well.." Alexis bit her bottom lip, debating telling him the truth about herself. She sighed and looked down at her tiny hands, she knew the truth would eventually have to be told. It was embarrassing for her to admit how old she actually was, especially after she had acted so immaturely. "I know because, uh, I was actually one of the soldiers at the base." She looked back up at Tony for his reaction.

"Is that so?" He cocked an eyebrow in question. Not saying anything else, he crossed his arms waiting for the child to explain.

"Yeah, I know it's weird. I mean, I look like I couldn't be, I know." She took a breath before continuing. "I'm really older then I look. A lot older really." Tony stayed silent, and she took that as a cue to continue. "I'm actually eighteen, same as all the others." She dropped her gaze to the floor and waited for his response.

"Hmm." He ran a hand through his hair, Alexis looked up reluctantly. "That is weird." he admitted. He walked to bed and took a seat, he motioned for the girl to sit next to him. She climbed up with a bit of difficulty and sat next to him. She almost held her breath waiting for him to tell her that she'd have to go back to the base.

"It's not a bad thing to be young," He said gently. "It must have been hard to live in the military, it's not really a place for kids. But you don't have to be grown up here, there's no Generals around, just me and Pepper, oh and Jarvis if you count him." He smiled and patted the girls head once more. She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to convince him, even if what she was saying was the truth. At least not at the moment, she wasn't sure if it was even a bad thing. If it all came out, she could say that she had told him.

"Who's Jarvis?" She asked, as soon as it occurred to her that he had listed someone she had yet to meet.

He laughed again, "Jarvis is the AI of the house." He paused as he realized a five year old may not understand. "He's a computer program that acts like a person, and he can hear you from anywhere in the whole house."

"Really?" She asked incredulously, not sure such a thing could even exist.

"Yeah," He smirked and cleared his throat. "Jarvis, say hello to Alexis."

"Hello, Miss Alexis." A voice filled the room, sounding just a tiny bit mechanical. If she hadn't know it was a computer talking, she never would have guessed. With a smirk, she noticed the British accent.

"Um, Hi.." She wasn't sure if she should say hello, she looked around for a speaker.

"There's speakers and microphones in every room," he left out the cameras, not wanting to scare the child. "So if you ever need anything you can ask Jarvis, he'll probably have an answer."

"I always have an answer, Sir." The computer corrected, Alexis thought it even sounded a bit smug.

"Sorry Jarvis," Tony said with a grin. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"Yeah!" She replied enthusiastically. "Did you make Jarvis?"

"I did," Tony looked at the girl closely, though still smiling. "You're pretty quick, kiddo."

"Yep, I know." She joked with a grin to match his own. He laughed and stood up once again.

"Do you still want to see the rest of the house?" He asked, knowing that she would. Alexis nodded her head and slid off of the bed, landing on her feet. He turned and led the way out of the room, the little girl followed behind him.

He showed her the rest of the house, including the kitchen and the pool outside. She had been given specific instructions not to be around the pool unless she was with someone, besides Jarvis. They ended up in the the room they had started in, the giant window of the room showing the red and orange sky which flooded the living room with it's colours. She looked the corner of the room and noticed that there were stairs leading down, next to a build in fountain. Which was contained entirely within a transparent casing, it almost seemed to be a part of the wall.

"Where do those stairs go to?" She asked, pointing to the stairs to further illustrate.

"Oh, those lead to my workshop," Mr. Stark said looking over. "The same rule as the pool goes for down those stairs too, ok?"

"Ok," Alexis agreed, a bit disappointed. Though she was used to rules and restrictions, many more then she had been given here. Tony sat on the couch and picked up the remote sitting on the table. he turned on the giant television and proceeded to flick through the channels. Alexis was starring out of the window, but left the view to sit next to him.

"Oh oh oh!" She said suddenly, hopping up and down and pointing to the screen. "Batman!" She looked to Tony hopefully, her eyes wide and bottom lip poking out in a bit of a pout as he stopped changing the station.

"Batman, huh?" He turned back to the cartoon, an animated batman was fighting his arch nemesis, the Joker. "I used to watch Batman when I was a kid," He laughed. "Though they always ended up dancing at the end, doesn't look like they will now."

"Dancing?" The little girl shook her head. " Why would Batman dance?"

"I really don't know," Tony admitted. "It was a long time ago." The continued to watch the cartoon in silence, until Pepper entered with an armful of bags. She set them down in the middle of the room with a sigh.

"Mr. Stark, Rhodes is on his way here, he'll be here in about ten minutes." Pepper straightened and brushed off her pencil skirt. "I also rescheduled your appointment for eleven thirty tomorrow." She paused. "In the morning," she made sure to add. "These are all the clothes I was able to get on short notice." She made a gesture to the bags on the floor. "Did you need anything else, Mr. Stark?"

" Rhodes's coming here?" Tony narrowed his eyes at his assistant who merely smiled professionally and nodded. "I don't suppose it would be to talk me out of anything, would it?"

"I wouldn't know, Mr. Stark." She answered simply.

"Well, would you mind helping Alexis get dressed? You can take the clothes to the guest room across from my room, I think that'd be a good room for her." Tony turned back to the tv and turned it off. He stood and looked to his assistant. "I guess I better get ready for Rhodes."

"Sure, Mr. Stark." Pepper picked up the bags and turned to the hall, waiting for the child to follow her. "Follow me Alexis." She climbed off the seating and walked up to the woman.

"Thanks, Pepper." Tony smiled at the woman, a real, grateful smile. She smiled sweetly back at him and nodded. She led the way up the stairs to the guest room that would now house the ex-soldier. Alexis followed, glancing back at Tony for reassurance, only to find he had already made his way down the stairs. They got to the guest room quickly, with Alexis stumbling only once or twice up the stairs.

"I don't need help dressing," She sulked a little bit.

"Well it never hurts to have another opinion on an outfit, right?" Pepper said as they entered the room. It was one of the nicer guest rooms, another window took up an entire wall, looking out on the ocean as well. It was bigger then any child, or adult really, would ever need. The only thing that differed this room from Tony's own, was the lack of the picture on the side table. Ms. Potts set the bags down atop the king sized bed and began to take out the contents of each one. "So what would you like to wear?"

With a grin the little girl sprang forward and looked at the pile of clothing spread out before her. After so many months in the military and being told what to wear, she was eager to put something a little different on. She shifted through the clothing, unsure of what the pick until she found something she couldn't resist wearing. It was an Iron Man T-shirt; a white shirt with a red collar and a cartoon picture of the famous Iron Man in flight, as far as Alexis could tell. In bold red printing above was the words "Iron Man." She giggled and held up the shirt for Pepper to see.

"Ah, I see." The young woman smiled, trying not to laugh as well. She looked at the rest of the clothes and pulled out a pair of jeans, holding them out to the girl. "Would you like to wear these too then?" She received a nod in response. "Alright," she looked next to her and picked out some underwear and socks for the girl to wear as well. Alexis looked a little lost as she realized just how much had changed in a mere day, and got caught up in her own thoughts. "Do you need help getting undressed?" Pepper asked the child, bringing her out of her daydreams. She shook her head and proceed to change into the new clothing. Ms. Potts began to sort through the mess of clothing that now sat on the bed, looking for the shoes that she knew she had also bought.

"Pepper?" Alexis asked as she pulled the shirt over her head. The woman looked up at the child, the shoes in her hands. "How long do you think it'll take my hair to grow longer? Everybody thinks I'm a boy.." she trailed off sadly.

"It shouldn't take too long, you'll be needing a haircut before you know it." Pepper tried to cheer her up. "Enjoy it while you can," she said with a smile. "Cause long hair can be a lot of work too, I'm always struggling with mine."

"I guess," the girl sighed and pulled on the red canvas sneakers that were handed to her. She didn't see the point of wearing more feminine clothing with short hair. She also wanted to see Mr. Stark's reaction to the shirt. "How do I look?" she asked as she finished putting on the shoes, standing up and turning around once.

"Adorable." Pepper said, as she resisted the urge to pick the child up and give her a hug. She didn't say that there was no way that anyone would be able to tell she was a girl, she figured it was better to let her wear what she wanted. Pepper had been hoping she would chose the Iron Man shirt. When she had seen it in the store, while picking up the order of clothes, she had to get it as well.

"Let's go show Mr. Stark,"

Alexis nodded and rushed out of the room, leaving Pepper to scramble after her. The young girl had her way memorized to the room, and remembered which way to go to get back. Ms. Potts quickly caught up to the child and took her hand in her own.

"It's not a race," She laughed. "We'll get there fast enough." She smiled as the girl blushed and looked at her feet as they walked back to the main room.

"Just trust me Rhodes, ok?" Tony was talking to a man Alexis hadn't met yet. He was wearing a marine uniform, she started to worry. She followed Ms. Potts into the room, mostly because she held her hand.

"Ah, hello Alexis." He smiled at the girl, who quickly dropped Peppers hand and went to his side. She half hid behind him when she noticed Rhodes staring at her. She peered at the man from behind Tony's leg, not caring about acting young at the moment.

"A bit shy, huh?" The man got down on a knee and gave her a smile.

"Alexis, this is my friend, Rhodes." Tony introduced him, stepping to the side slightly so she couldn't hide behind him. Suddenly with nothing to hide behind, she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

"Hi, Rhodes." She hoped that he wasn't there to take her back to the military.

"Hello," The man chuckled. "Is that an Iron Man shirt your wearing?"

Alexis smiled despite herself. "Yeah," she grinned. "Isn't it cool?"

"Very," Rhodes agreed, nodding his head. Tony had leaned over to look at the shirt as well, he seemed amused, and perplexed by it.

"I don't remember signing anything about T-shirts.." He turned to his assistant. "Do you?"

"I think it's public domain, Tony." Pepper smirked, just a bit. Tony shrugged it off.

"How old are you, Alexis?" Rhodes continued to smile, Alexis figured that he must not have come to take her back. He probably didn't even know about her.

"Um," She couldn't remember exactly how old she was now, she was pretty sure it was four going on five. "Four and a half." Close enough, she figured. "How old are you?" She asked in return.

He laughed, " I'm 28."

"It's not polite to ask grown-ups their age," Pepper gently admonished. Mr. Stark merely chuckled at the question as he leaned down and scooped Alexis up into his arms.

"It's alright, Pepper." Rhodes stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his pants. "I'm not that old yet." He grinned at the child in his friend's arms. She smiled shyly back.

"Hey, are you hungry kid?" Tony asked, suddenly realizing neither of them had eaten since breakfast. She nodded her head immediately at the mention of food. "Heh, sorry I didn't even think about it until now," he laughed, embarrassed. "Do you like pizza?"

"Yeah!" A grin stretched across her face. Pizza was something she hadn't been able to have in a very long time, she was sick of the healthy, nutritional food that was forced upon her. Tony chuckled and nodded his head.

"Jarvis, place an order in for pizza, the usual." He said to the computer. It amazed the small girl that it could do so much, in fact Rhodes was still surprised sometimes by it.

"Yes, sir." The reply sounded through the speakers Alexis still couldn't locate.

She rubbed her eyes, already getting tired again. The day had not been what she had expected, in a way, running laps all day would have been less exhausting. Tony still held her in his arms, she was starting to get used to being carried around; she knew she probably had been as a child, but couldn't seem to remember it. She could smell alcohol on his breath, but didn't think too much of it, he didn't seem to be drunk after all. He also smelled of metal, oil, and expensive cologne, it was a strange mix.

Pepper excused herself from the group, saying that she had a few more things to finish up before the day was done. Tony took a seat on one of the couches, Alexis sitting next to him. The two men began to talk about the latest sport game. Alexis had stopped listening, she struggled to stay awake, mostly for the pizza. The little girl lost to the pull of sleep, resting her head against Mr. Stark and breathing in the smell that only belonged to him.

"I guess she was tried," Rhodes said quietly, noticing the child next to Tony had fallen asleep. He looked to his friend seriously. "Are you sure you can take care of a kid, Tony?"

"Yeah, I think so," Tony sighed and placed one arm under the child's head and the other under her knees. He stood up and lifted her with him. "I mean, I'll do my best. That's what everyone does, right?"

"Yeah," Rhodes smiled and nodded. "She sure is cute, you're going to have a hell of a time when she gets older." He chuckled. It seemed fitting that his playboy friend should end up having a daughter. Tony winced at the thought of the child he was carrying growing up to be like one of the women he chased after.

"She seems pretty smart.." He trailed off, looking for the first time a little nervous.

"You'll do fine, I know you. When you get set on something, there's no stopping you." He grinned. "Maybe keep her hair short for a while." He joked.

Tony sighed again, " I better get her to bed." He left the room, Rhodes laughter behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story so far :) I'm still trying to think of a good title, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

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Alexis opened her eyes to the bright morning sunlight coming through the gigantic window that made up the wall to her left. She sat up slowly, blinking a few times as her vision cleared. She looked around in confusion. The last thing she remembered was listening to boring sport talk on the couch next to Mr. Stark. Climbing out of the bed, she realized he must have carried her there when she fell asleep. She sighed, embarrassed at her behavior.

"What time is it?" She mumbled, to no one in particular. She slid off the edge of the bed and landed on bare feet, wondering where her shoes went.

"It is 7:08 A.M," Jarvis's voice made her jump a bit. She hadn't expected a reply to her question.

"Oh," She felt a bit foolish. "Where's Mr. Stark?" She asked the AI.

"Mr. Stark is still asleep in his room, would you like me to wake him?"

"Um, no, That's ok." She said quickly, she was still wearing the Iron Man shirt and jeans, to her relief. She wandered out of the room, down the hall to the main room. Not sure what to do, but thinking about cartoons. The house seemed to be empty, she padded across the carpet in her bare feet, grinning as she relished the freedom.

"Hello, Alexis." Pepper greeted the girl as she too entered the room. Alexis smiled shyly back at her.

"Hi," The reply was almost too soft to hear.

"Don't tell me Tony let you sleep in those clothes." Pepper said with a sigh, knowing that was probably what happened.

"I fell asleep before pizza," the little girl sulked. She had been looking forward to the pizza.

"Oh, well you had a big day yesterday, huh?" She smiled. "There will be more pizza, don't worry. It's Mr. Stark's favorite after all." Pepper glanced at the blackberry in her hand. "Do you want anything for breakfast?"

"Um.." She thought about it for a second, then nodded her head.

"What would you like?" Pepper asked while going through a new message for Tony on her phone.

"Cereal!" She chirped. For the past months she had been eating runny eggs and toast, and what they called oatmeal, though she called it gruel. "Not oatmeal." She added quickly.

Pepper smiled, " Well that's easy." She turned to the kitchen. "We have some in the house, I'm sure." She started toward the kitchen, Alexis followed behind her. Pepper rummaged through the large kitchen, pulling out a bowl and the cereal. The little girl watched, climbing up onto a stool the stood beside an island table in the center of the room. Ms. Potts set the bowl of "Froot Loops" in front of the child and glanced again at her phone.

"I have to go, sweetie." She said as she put a spoon next to the bowl. "Mr. Stark usually doesn't get up this early, but you can get Jarvis to wake him if you need anything."

"Ok.." She replied as she dug into the colorful food. Pepper smiled, then left the room, answering her phone as she did so. She inhaled the sugary cereal, then drank the milk that had turned a strange shade of green. Not knowing what to do, she dumped the bowl in the sink, to sit with a few other dishes.

Alexis grinned once more, she could do whatever she wanted, no one was there to tell her what to do. She ran to the couch and jumped up, landing on a cushion. She picked up the remote and turned on the giant television, flicking through the channels and landing on a cartoon that looked half interesting. There was a fight scene and explosions. She watched until the end then couldn't seem to find anything else to watch.

"What time is it now, Jarvis?" She asked the computer, sure that she had killed some time.

"It is 7:34 AM, Miss." Jarvis replied after a short pause.

"What time does Mr. Stark get up?" Alexis was starting to feel bored, she kicked her feet out, back and forth.

"Mr. Stark usually rises at 8:30, would you like me to wake him?" he asked her again, and she swore he sounded amused.

"No.." Alexis jumped off the couch and fell as she tripped over her own leg. She got up and brushed herself off, then approached the window again.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Jarvis asked the child, referring to the fall.

"I'm ok," she chirped, feeling full of energy this morning. She guessed it might have been all the sugar in the cereal. She hadn't had any sugar in a long time, and certainly not since she had been a child again. "You can see me?" She asked as she realized there must be cameras.

"Of course, there are cameras in every room." Jarvis explained easily. " I monitor the premises in case anything should happen that requires emergency action."

"Oh." Alexis shrugged it off, not caring too much. She grinned as an idea popped into her head. She took a deep breath and leaned forward, dropping on her hands and flipping up on her hands, so that she stood on them. The girl walked on her hands around the room, thankful for her training for once.

"I have to warn you that your actions could result in injury." Jarvis's warning didn't bother the small girl, who continued on.

"I'm ok," She replied with a grin, looking out the window. The sea floated above a clear blue sky, she giggled at the scene. Jarvis didn't say anything more, but less then a minute later Tony Stark came running down the stairs. His eyes scanning the room as he entered, and stopping on the upside-down child.

"What-" His voice cracked, he had obviously just woken. His black hair stood at all directions on his head and he was only wearing a pair of boxers and an undershirt. Alexis wobbled and fell onto her back, startled.

"Oh, Hi," She sat up to look at him, rubbing the back of her head where she had connected with the floor. "Jarvis said you don't get up til 8:30.." she tilted her head to the side.

"You were engaged in dangerous activity.." He said, quoting what the AI system had told him.

"I was walking on my hands, pretty neat, huh?" She grinned at her guardian. "I said I was ok though, cause Jarvis warned me not to.. I guess that's why you're up?" Her grin faded as she realized it was her fault.

"Yeah." Tony didn't seem impressed, he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. The little girl looked at her feet sheepishly, still rubbing the back of her head, where a bump was forming. "Is your head ok?" He asked gently.

"Just a bump," she dropped her hand and and put on a smile to prove she was fine. Tony walked over to her and knelt down to examine her head.

"Hmm," He looked at the child in the eyes. "No more handstands." He stood and yawned, making his way to the kitchen. Alexis followed behind. Tony began to prepare coffee, the little girl wandering around him, not standing still for a moment.

"You break into the coffee already?" He joked, noticing the change of behavior in the child.

"I can have coffee?" Her eyes lit up at the mention of the caffeinated drink she hadn't had in too long of a time.

"No." Tony said quickly. "No." He repeated shaking his head to emphasize the point. She pouted and shrugged, it was probably for the best, she was hardly able to sit still with the sugar coursing through her. "Are you always this energetic in the mornings?" His eyebrow arched, watching the bouncing child.

"Not usually," She replied happily. "I had cereal for breakfast." She grinned up at Tony.

"Oh," He made a mental note to watch her sugar intake. "Pepper was already here then? Or did Jarvis tell you where everything was?"

"Pepper." The little girl answered. "But she left again to do something." She pouted slightly again. "Not even a little coffee?" She made her best hurt puppy look, eyes wide, bottom lip slightly sticking out.

"Sorry, kiddo," Tony said, trying not to look at the pouting child. "Not until you're older."

"Mr. Stark," Pepper walked in at that moment, a stack of files held in her hands. She raised a single brow at his attire, or lack of. "Why are you not dressed?"

"Oh, hey Pepper," Tony poured a cup of the coffee he had just made and took a sip. "I was woken up earlier then usual, guess I forgot." He smirked at the blush on his assistants cheeks. She was trying to avoid looking at him. Alexis looked between the two and giggled, drawing the attention to herself. "What's so funny?" Mr. Stark asked, still smirking.

"Nothing, Sir," She replied automatically. Alexis had a tendency to laugh at times that were incredibly appropriate, even during training. She had uttered the same answer to that question many times. Tony frowned at the response, although the little girl smirked, not realizing what she had said. Without warning, he scooped her up into his arms and held her there, so they were at eye level.

"No more 'sir' anymore, ok?" He seemed worried about the child that he held. It was obvious to Alexis as she looked at the face of the man in front of her. She hadn't meant to say sir, it just slipped. It worried her as well. She nodded and threw her arms around his neck, feeling very young at the moment. Tony rubbed her back as he held the small girl and she buried her head against his shoulder, partly from embarrassment. "It's alright," he said softly. Pepper approached the pair, concern painting her features as well.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The red head asked in the same tone she had used on Tony when he had first got back. She ran a hand over the short hair on the little girl's head.

"It's just.. I always got in trouble when I laughed at something before," Her voice was muffled against Tony's shoulder. Pepper sighed sadly, Tony just frowned, knowing something wasn't right. He knew it from the moment he had seen her. A little girl with a shaved head and no parents living at a military base, none of it made sense. From the look on his assistant's face, he guessed that she was beginning to suspect something as well.

"Well, not anymore," Tony held the girl a little a bit tighter, before placing her back down on the tiled kitchen floors. She stared at her feet, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Why don't you go get ready, kiddo?" Alexis nodded and left the room to get dressed in some of the other clothes Pepper had brought back yesterday.

"Why would they treat a little girl like that?" Pepper said softly after the child was gone. She frowned and crossed her arms. Tony sighed deeply.

"I don't know, something's going on there.." He took a sip of his coffee and frowned once again. Pepper nodded in agreement.

"Should I schedule an appointment with General Edmonds?" She asked

"Wait until we get the adoption settled, then yes," Tony scratched his chin where the stubble was starting to poke through. "That should only take a couple days, right?"

"Well, usually it takes a few months, but I'll see what I can do to speed it up," Pepper seemed to notice that her boss wasn't dressed once again. "Why don't you get dressed while I do that? You have an appointment today at eleven thirty, for lunch with a client."

"Sure," Tony smirked playfully. "You don't like looking at my half-naked body?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and turned around. "I'll be in the office if you need me Mr. Stark." Tony chuckled softly and returned to his morning routine.

Alexis came running down the stairs, ignoring another warning from Jarvis that she was in danger. She ran into the kitchen, now dressed in clean clothing and stopped when she noticed Tony staring down at her, not looking pleased.

"I was only running," she whined a bit, knowing why he was upset. She put on her widest smile and pulled at the tips of her hair. "I think my hair's getting longer," She tried to change the subject.

"No more running on the stairs," Tony was serious, not something that happened often. "Why don't you watch T.V.? I have to get ready for a meeting later." He put down the, now empty, mug. Alexis nodded and ran to the main room, throwing herself onto the couch.

"Ok," the girl smiled and turned the television back on. As she watched the brightly coloured characters, her mind drifted to her time in the military. She had never signed up, but was 'drafted'. Without her own permission, everyone in her small group had been. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to block the memories that threatened to flood her mind. She wondered about her friends, she had been friends with a few of the soldiers, even before they were soldiers. She sighed as she realized she may never see them again. Tears escaped from her eyes, they were quickly wiped away with the grey sleeve of the shirt she wore.

She stood up quickly, determined to find something to take her mind off of the unpleasant thoughts. The little girl wandered though the large house, not sure where she was going and not caring too much about it either. Her head turned as she heard Mr. Stark's assistant talking on the phone.

"Yes, Mr. Stark would like to hurry up the process as much as possible." Alexis looked into the room that was clearly an office, a desk and computer in the centre, Ms. Potts behind them. "Thank you, three days?.. Yes that will be fine." The woman smiled and took a note. "Thank you again, Bye."

"Hi," Alexis said uncertainly from the doorway.

"Oh, Hey." Pepper smiled at the child. "Do you need anything?"

"No.." The girl sighed. "I'm bored."

Pepper had been prepared for this. Sometimes Tony just didn't think of the mundane everyday things that needed to be done, but not Pepper. It was her job after all, to keep things running. She reached into her desk and pulled out a box of crayons and paper, she had picked them up yesterday along with the clothes.

"Why don't you draw a picture for Mr. Stark?" She asked the child, handing her the crayons and paper. Alexis smirked a bit at the idea, but accepted the box. She took a seat on the ground and placed the paper in front of her. It was something to do after all.

"Ok," She said, picking out a red crayon first. She had an idea of what she wanted to draw already. Pepper smiled and went back to her work, keeping an eye on the quiet child as she did.

"Hey Pepper, do you know where-" Tony walked into the room and stopped his sentence as he saw the child sitting on the floor. "Oh, never mind, found her." He grinned and the annoyed look on his assistants face and approached the girl. "what are you drawing?"

"Done!" Alexis grinned up at Tony, who had pretty good timing. She lifted the picture up for him to see. "It's for you." She waited for his reaction.

Tony looked at the picture, eyebrows raised. "You did this all by yourself?" He seemed disbelieving.

"Yep," The little girl smiled. "Do you like it?" Tony looked to Pepper, silently questioning her if she had helped with the drawing. She understood and simply shook her head, leaning over to see why Tony was so amazed.

"Y-Yeah," he didn't know what else to say. "It's really good, kid." The picture was too good. Tony was sure it was beyond the skill level of any ordinary five year old, who mostly left colourful squiggles and stickmen on paper. But this picture was of Ironman, drawn in red and yellow, no gold crayons he guessed, and it was fairly accurate. He reached out and took the paper from the tiny hand that held it out to him. The child was getting more and more confusing by the hour.

"Thanks!" She chirped. Pepper frowned at the drawing in thought, she hadn't been paying attention to the child as she had been working. "You think I'm weird." Alexis said suddenly, picking up on the glances between the two adults in the room. She sulked a bit, putting away the crayons strewn across the floor.

"No, it's just.." Tony paused to think, Alexis looked back up at him. "This is really really good, you know? I don't know any other kids your age who can draw this well."

"Oh," She knew she had messed up, not acting like the child she was suppose to be. But she had told Tony the truth already, he just didn't believe it. Not that she blamed him. "I used to draw a lot," she explained truthfully. Alexis stood and stretched, after sitting for what seemed like a very long time to her. In reality it was just under an hour. Tony knelt down on one knee, an idea forming in his mind.

"You seem pretty smart for a kid your age too.." He nodded as he said the words. "Do you want to play a game?" He picked up the crayons and paper as he asked the child. "If you win, we'll go to the toy store and you can have anything you want." He grinned, knowing that no child would refuse.

Alexis tilted her head to the side and smiled, that would certainly cure her boredom. She nodded her head and followed Tony to the desk. He wrote something on the piece of paper with the crayon, then lifted her onto the chair so she could see. She looked at the paper, it had a grid with empty circles and filled in circles.

"Ok, with this game, you have to draw a line that goes through all the circles.." Tony handed the child a different colored crayon. "But, you can only go through each square once, and you have to turn this much.." He made a ninety degree angle with his hands. "When you go through a filled in circle." He smiled at the little girl. "And, you only get two minutes."

"Tony, you can't be serious." Ms. Potts frowned at him. "She's only five, you can't tease her with toys like that." She looked at the size of the crudely drawn puzzle and seriously doubted that even she herself be able to solve it in the time given.

"Well, you don't know until you try, right?" Tony grinned. "Ready?" Pepper sighed and gave up, content to console a crying child afterward.

"Yep," Alexis grinned, it was going to be easy. She was the 'smart one' of all the elite soldiers after all, the one that had taken to the intelligence 'enhancements'. Alexis pushed the thoughts away as she stared at the page, waiting for Mr. Stark to say begin.

"Ok... GO!" Tony said, glancing at his watch to keep a track of the time. Alexis dragged the green crayon across the lines of the grids, keeping a set pace that allowed her to think ahead to where the line would turn next. Pausing only once as she came to the end and completed the loop.

"Done!" She put the crayon down on the desk and smirked up at Tony.

"Hmm, one minute.." He picked up the paper and checked to make sure the child had finished the puzzle correctly. She had.

"Yay! I win!" She hopped off of the chair. Tony glanced at Pepper who seemed shocked, which was pretty much how he felt. "I can have any toy?" She questioned.

"Yeah.." Tony looked over the paper again, almost not believing that it was correct. Alexis frowned at his behavior, she didn't think it was that much of a stretch that a five year old could solve the simple puzzle. She sighed and regretted her decision to show off a bit for a toy. Pepper cleared her throat, Tony looked up at his assistant.

"Shall I go make that appointment for today, Mr. Stark?" She was referring to the meeting with the general and he knew it. Pepper seemed to be standing a bit farther away from the child, as did Tony.

"..No," He shook his head as he thought about it. "We'll stick to the original time, Ms. Potts." Alexis pouted and crossed her arms, she hated being treated like some sort of disease. She was used to it from her time at the base, but it bothered her more then anything. She walked to Mr. Stark and tugged on his pant leg to get his attention. He unconsciously took a step backwards. Both adults were thinking that the child wasn't quite normal, and they were right of course.

The little girl pouted and crossed her arms, feeling like she might cry. It happened a lot since she was very young again. A side effect, she was told. She just couldn't help the way she reacted at times, though she tried. Tears began falling down her cheeks, she backed away from the billionaire genius who had taken her in. Tony watched her carefully, not sure what to think about her behavior.

"I just did the stupid puzzle!" She yelled at him, continuing to back up until her back was against the desk. "I'm not a freak," She continued to sob, the loud cries sounded foreign to her own ears.

"I never said you were a freak." Tony wasn't sure what to do, he looked to Pepper who seemed to be just as lost as himself. Tony sighed as he regarded the crying child, she seemed as normal as any other five year old at the moment. Mr. Stark approached the little girl and knelt down, he vaguely thought about his expensive suit as he did so. He reached out and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back reassuringly. The child continued to bawl, the sound muffled in Tony's jacket. "Shhh, It's ok,"

He pulled back as the sobs faded into soft whimpers. The little girl looked at him with red puffy eyes and wiped her running nose with her sleeve, sniffling as she did.

"Uh," Tony looked around for some tissue, smiling when Pepper had some ready and held out to him. "Don't use your sleeve to wipe your nose," he gently admonished, using the tissue on the kid's nose. Then on his jacket, which he quickly realized was futile. Alexis hiccuped softly in the aftermath of the cries, hanging on to the expensive jacket's sleeve. "I know." He stood and picked up the little girl as he did. "Lets go get that toy, or a couple of them." He smiled at Alexis, waiting for her response.

"Ok," she said, resting her head against his shoulder. She was emotionally exhausted. She rubbed at her eyes, which were still wet and sighed.

"Maybe a nap would be better first, Tony." Pepper advised.

"But it's not even lunch time," Alexis whined a bit. She didn't want to take a nap so soon after waking up, even if she had tired herself out.

"Yeah, I could use a nap," Tony joked, smiling when he got a grin from the child in his arms. Pepper sighed, trying to think of someone she knew that could recommend a good nanny. She wasn't sure if Mr. Stark was mature enough to raise a child on his own, and she didn't have the time to do two jobs. "We'll take a short nap, then go get toys." He added, Pepper smiled.

"Alright," Alexis agreed, as long as it was a short nap. Tony winked at Pepper and carried the small girl back to the main room.

"This is where I take all my naps," he said as he laid down on the couch. Alexis curled up next to him and yawned. Tony smiled and threw and arm around her. "Jarvis, wake me up at ten thirty please."

"Yes, sir," the AI darkened the windows so less of the sunlight could come through, and the pair fell asleep almost instantly.


	4. Chapter 4

So I was struggling with a bad case of writer's block, but I think it's finally passed. Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one should be back to normal :)

Thank you for all the reviews :D I'm happy my story has entertained!

Oh and to Haha21, I just realized that you're right. Thanks for pointing that out to me :) Though technically it was all in dialogue so it could be the way that the characters are talking (I think I'll just go with that explanation :P) I'm surprised it slipped by me, blame it on late night proof reading.

Anyways, on to the story. I expect to have the next chapter up soon. This one was mainly filler, just trying to work through my writer's block. Remember to review!!

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Alexis sat in the back of the car, trying to pry open the packaging of the "Gameboy" that sat on her lap. She growled in frustration and continued her efforts. Around her were more the a couple of toys, everything from coloring books and a teddy bear, to a science kit for children. The last item being chosen by Tony.

"Hey, Rhodey," Tony was talking on his cell phone as he drove through the city. "I was wondering if you wanted to meet for lunch.." Alexis turned her attention back to her task, finally getting it open and grinning as she looked for a game to play. "Sure, I'll see you in five minutes then." Tony pushed the off button and put his cell back in his pocket. He turned back to glance at the child in the back seat as he drove down the busy street. "Hey, kid."

"Yeah?" Alexis looked up, just about to push the power button on her new toy on.

"You liked my friend Rhodes, right? You met him last night, remember?" Tony took a left turn and slowed the car, scanning the sides of the street for a place to park.

"I remember." The little girl said simply. "I guess so.." She turned on the new video-game and began pushing buttons, the device capturing her attention. Tony frowned a bit, but didn't say anything else as he parked the car at the side of the road. He put the top up and turned off the ignition, then got out of the car.

"Time to go," he said as he opened the back door for the child. "Leave your toy here, you can play later." Alexis pouted and sighed, putting the device down next to her and climbing out of the back-seat. He smiled at her and took her hand as he shut the door, pushing a button on his key chain to lock the car.

"Where are we going?" She asked as Tony led her down the sidewalk. She looked around at all the people walking around her, some taking notice of the well known playboy with a child and starring at them both. She frowned and tried to walk closer to Tony, tripping him up as she did.

"Whoe!" Tony stumbled forward but quickly steadied himself. "Well, I have a boring meeting to go to, and you're going to have fun with Rhodey until it's over." Tony smiled and scooped the child into his arms, preventing any future falls.

"How come you have to go to boring meetings?" Alexis asked as she tried to hide from all of the staring passers by. People were pointing at them and talking amongst themselves.

"Pepper makes me," He replied with a smirk, apparently unfazed by all of the attention they were getting. The child giggled, making Tony smile. She pulled absently at his dark blue tie, fascinated by the knot for a moment.

"Hey, Tony!" James Rhodes called to his friend as he approached him. Pepper had called him to warn him about Tony's plan, but James had his own plan. He smiled at the little girl he had only briefly met before, and she shyly smiled back.

"Rhodey!" Tony grinned and set the child down. Alexis stayed close to his leg, peering at Rhodes carefully. "I need a favour.." Tony glanced at his watch, he only had two minutes to get to his meeting and didn't have time to be subtle.

"Yeah, you want me to watch the brat?" James crossed his arms and starred at his friend.

"Ah, Pepper called to warn you, huh?" Tony smiled sheepishly, he knew he shouldn't have let his assistant in on his plan to surprise Rhodes with baby-sitting duty. "Yeah, I have a meeting I have to go to, should only take about an hour. So you'll do it then?"

"Go ahead and go to your meeting, I'll baby-sit. This once, Tony." Rhodes paused and looked at his friend meaningfully. "But afterward we're going to have a talk."

"Sure, thanks man," Tony grinned, brushing off the serious tone in the other man's voice. He looked down to Alexis, who was still hiding behind him. "I'll be back in a hour, ok? Be good for Rhodey," He chuckled a bit and turned to enter the building behind them. An upscale restaurant hidden away between two stores on the busy downtown street. Alexis watched him go and sighed, she turned to Rhodes.

"I'm not a brat," she said, a frown painting her childish features. James smiled at the little girl and held out his hand for her to take.

"My mistake," Alexis sighed again and reached up to hold his hand. He looked at his own watch and made a mental note of the time. "Are you hungry?" She nodded in response. "Ok, lets get some lunch then."

Alexis followed him down the street, not really having any say in the matter. She was glad all the attention was off of her now that she wasn't with Mr. Stark. She sighed and dragged her sneaker clad feet along the pavement, both relishing and hating her freedom at the same time.

"You and Mr. Stark are friends?" She asked as she tried to avoid the many people who didn't seem to notice her. She couldn't decide if too much attention was worse then none at all. At least she didn't have to worry about being stepped on with Tony.

"Yeah, I wonder how sometimes, though" Rhodes said as he thought about his friend's irresponsible behavior. He glanced at the child holding his hand and once again wondered if Tony would be able to be a parent. "Do you like living with Tony so far?"

"Yeah," Alexis grinned as she recalled her new toys, one in particular came to her mind. "I got a "Nintendo DS", and a "Mario" game." Rhodes smiled at her enthusiasm and continued to make small talk as they waited for Tony to arrive.


	5. Chapter 5

I finally updated!! Thanks to everyone for all the reviews so far :)

Oh, the rating for this chapter went up to "T" for one particular reason.. and on that note I would like to add that I do not condone underage drinking, where I live the legal drinking age is 18. Also, I had to have this chapter in the story, it is essential to the plot. Yay plot!

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Alexis carefully descended the stairs, smoothing out hair that had begun to grow out and was now unruly. Jade eyes watched the steps she made, after a couple of close calls on the stairs she had learned to pay attention. She tugged the Iron man shirt she wore down over her jeans, in an attempt to look less like a mischievous child. Though it was in vain.

She sighed and continued down the stairs, she had been living here for just under three weeks now and it still felt strange. Alexis didn't think she'd ever feel that the giant home was hers as well, despite what Mr. Stark insisted. She knew that the adoption was final, she was now the ward of Tony Stark. It had all happened yesterday, but not much else had changed.

She reached the bottom of the steps and paused as she heard a strange voice. Alexis tilted her head as she slowly made her way to the origin of the voices. One was Tony, the other she didn't know but it was strangely familiar. The girl crept up to the entrance of the main room, careful to stay hidden until she knew who was there.

She went pale as she peered around the corner. There, talking with Mr. Stark, was General Edmonds. Tony was looking uncharacteristically serious, he had his arms crossed and was frowning at the man across from him. The military man had a beige folder in his hands which he handed to Tony, a grim look on his face.

He took the folder and opened it, leafing thorough the pages it held. It took a couple of minutes to read though it, once and then again. He shook his head disbelievingly and tossed the folder down on the table in front of him.

"I don't believe it." He said simply. He turned from the man and made his way to the bar, pouring a drink for himself. Straight scotch. He drank it in one gulp and poured another, taking it back to the table with him this time. He didn't bother offering the other man a drink, not that the General would have accepted it.

"It's true, Mr. Stark.. Tony." John Edmonds sighed and shifted slightly. "I know what we did was wrong, but we had the country's best interests in mind when we did it." He paused and waited for the other man to say something. After a moment of silence he spoke again. "We would like to take the girl back, Tony."

"No," Tony took another sip of his drink. He stared past the military man out the window, his expression showing nothing of what he felt. His voice was calm and detached. "I think you've done enough."

"You realize that girl is a soldier of this nation? She's not a child, Tony." The officer straightened his coat. Tony glared at him, finishing his drink and almost slamming it down on the table.

"What I realize is, you're still not telling me the whole story, James." He spat the words at the other man. There was just enough alcohol in him now to stand up to the military general. "So if you're not going to, get out of my house." He leaned forward a tiny bit, as though challenging the other man.

"Fine, I'll give you a few days to reconsider." John got up and walked towards the door. Alexis quickly ducked out of the way and into another doorway before she was spotted. He walked by without noticing her and she let out a sigh of relief. "I will contact you on the third Mr. Stark." He opened the door and walked out without saying anything else.

Tony let out a sigh and sat down. He picked up the folder he had thrown and began to read through it again. He grabbed the glass next to him, realized it was empty, and put it back down. Alexis sighed softly as she realized she had better talk to him now instead of waiting until later. She crept out of her hiding place and cautiously entered the room.

"Hi," she said softly. Tony looked up at the girl, then back down at the folder without saying a thing. "I told you so.." It was the only thing she could think to say. Alexis regretted it as he looked up to stare at her before nodding his head.

"You did," He began to read through the folder again. Alexis wondered what was so interesting about the papers. She sighed and climbed onto the chair opposite of him, wishing to be anywhere else at the moment. She kicked her feet back and forth, nervously waiting for Tony to break the silence.

"Are you mad?" The small girl asked quietly, staring at her feet. She picked at the material on the couch and refused to look up at the man sitting across the table from her.

"No, not at you anyway.." He stood and walked over to the bar, pouring yet another drink. "So you really are eighteen, huh?" It wasn't really a question, more of a musing. Alexis knew it and remained quiet. "I should have listened to Pepper and Rhodey.." The super-hero sank down into the expensive couch, clutching his glass in one hand and the other buried in his hair. He closed his eyes and tried to think a little more clearly about the situation.

Alexis watched the scene unfold, unsure of what to do. The child looked around the room, there was nothing else to provide any sort of distraction. Mr. Stark seemed like he couldn't handle the situation. If a super hero couldn't, she doubted her chances. She pushed herself back, further onto the seat, with her legs. Tears slid down her cheeks without a sound, Alexis quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"I-I'm sorry.." She started, trying to break the silence. He didn't say a word, She wasn't even sure that he heard her. "I didn't want any of this to happen." She was louder this time. She knew Tony had heard her, but he remained silent. "Say something!" The little girl shouted suddenly, standing up on the furniture.

"I'll be in my workshop," Tony finally looked up at the child. "I need some time to think about all of this." He stood and quickly emptied his glass, setting it on the table's surface as he turned away. Alexis stepped down from the seat she stood atop, and hesitantly took a step after Tony. "We'll talk later." He said as he began to walk away.

"No!!" The child yelled, as loud as she possibly could. It echoed through the room, Tony stopped and turned back. He looked at Alexis, surprised at the outburst from the usually quiet girl. "I don't want to talk later! You think I'm a freak, I knew you did.." She trailed off sadly. She glared up at Mr Stark, her bottom lip poking out in a pout that made her look more cute then threatening. "Well, I want to talk now!" She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"No," Tony turned back around, about to leave the room.

"FINE!!" She yelled after him. "I'll just drink all your stupid alcohol then! Since that's what you do when there's a problem! Then you'll _have_ to talk to me!!" Tony didn't stop, he continued his way down to the workshop. Alexis let out a frustrated sob, she let the tears slid down her cheeks. She hated how Tony was hiding behind a glass, he was suppose to be a super-hero but he couldn't even talk to her.

Alexis looked to the cabinet that held all of his alcohol, a look of determination crossed her eyes. She had once had a glass of wine at a family dinner, it had made her light-headed and giggly. But that had been when she was seventeen, she wasn't sure if her plan was the best one. Without thinking anymore about it, lest she lose her brief confidence, she reached out and grabbed the bottle at the front.

She had always thought that her first drink would be one with her friends, in a very different situation. The girl opened the bottle, she brought it to her lips and took a sip of the amber liquid. She almost choked, it was worse then milk that had been left out all day in the sun. The child grimaced and took another sip, hating the way it burned on the way down to her stomach, but continuing to take small sips.

Pepper walked into the house, she had been running around all day setting up appointments for her boss. Tony was going to make a public announcement about his adoption in a couple of days and it was all up to her to prepare for it. She took off her sunglasses and cleared her throat.

"Jarvis, Where are Mr. Stark and Alexis?" She assumed they would be together, as Alexis had a habit of following Tony around wherever he went. Unless he was in the workshop, but that only happened when there was someone else to look after the little girl.

"Mr. Stark is currently in his workshop, and Alexis is in the kitchen, Ms Potts." Jarvis replied politly. "The young Miss Stark has been engaged in highly dangerous activity for the past forty-five minutes, I suggest stopping her immediately."

"Huh?" Pepper immediately strode to the kitchen, wondering why Tony had left the child alone. Especially when Jarvis had no doubt warned him about Alexis. She stepped into the spacious room and stopped as she saw the girl up on the counter top, dumping the contents of a bottle of vodka down the drain. There were a pile of empty bottles around her, one had fallen onto the ground and broken into shards of glass. "Wha-?" Pepper looked to the girl, who seemed oblivious of her. She broke out of the initial shock of the situation and walked toward the child, careful not to step on the glass.

"Alexis Stark, what on earth do you think you're doing!?" Pepper Potts put on her best angry mother look. Her hands on her hips, she waited for the girl to try to explain herself. The child was in a ton of trouble as far as she was concerned, and Tony was going to be in for worse when she saw him.

"Oh heeey.." Alexis turned to Pepper, letting the bottle fall into the sink. "I realissshhed I could 'jus pour it down th'drain," The child grinned up at the woman, who's jaw fell open in surprise. Before she could register what was happening, Alexis found herself lifted off of the counter top and practically dragged by her hand down the stairs to the workshop. Pepper punched in the code for the door and scanned her hand, the door open and she marched in, heading straight for Tony. He sat with his back to the door, his ears covered by headphone. The music could still be heard everywhere in the room. The furious woman ripped them off of his head.

"Tony Stark, what is _WRONG_ with you?!" She screamed at him. He turned around, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "You let a child get drunk!?" Pepper pulled Alexis forward to stand between her and Tony.

" 'Mmm not druunk," the girl slurred, swaying slightly from the sudden movement. "Well, M'by a liddle.." She grabbed her stomach suddenly with both hands, turning more then a bit green. "My tummy hurts." She whined, as she sat down on the cement floor.

"I-I honestly didn't know she was drinking, Pepper." Tony stood up from the desk, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He looked down at the girl, very obviously angry. "What were you thinking!?" He yelled, Alexis avoided looking up at him.

"Y'were mean," She said as she continued to hold her stomach. "I towwld you I's gonna. But you dn't care. So I did."

"I thought you were smart, I didn't think you'd do something so stupid." The words were familiar to the girl, she let out a small laugh.

"Evvvryone says that, guesss m'not," She picked at the laces in her shoes. Tony got down on a knee and lifted her chin so she had to look at him. Alexis had never seen him so angry, not even at the General when he had come in. She laughed as a thought occurred to her, it only seemed to make Mr. Stark angrier. "Yurr like a dad.." It was the closest to coherent she could get. She had meant that he was acting like a typical father who's teenager had stumbled home drunk. But it had taken the genius a few sips before she had realized that she didn't need to consume the alcohol to get rid of it, and now she was far beyond the state of tipsy. She grinned and leaned forward to rest her head against his chest, hitting something hard.

"You really are drunk, aren't you?" Tony shook his head disbelievingly, his voice full of contempt. Alexis reached out and grabbed the hard object that she had hit with her head, it was stuck in Tony's chest. She pulled on it slightly, trying to figure out what it was.

"Y've suummthin stuck inn youu," She muttered, tilting her head to a side slightly. She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled up to reveal the arc reactor keeping Tony alive. Her brow furrowed upon seeing it and she frowned. " 'sall glowwy, whut is it?" She frowned deeper, "duss it hurt?"

"It's an arc reactor, and no it doesn't hurt." Tony still looked angry but some of the edge had left his voice. The little girl sighed and rested her head against his chest again, to the side of the arc reactor this time.

"I feel sick.." She said softly.

"I think we should take her to the hospital, Tony." Pepper spoke up, after watching Tony with the child. "She may have to have her stomach pumped." She now sounded more concerned then angry. She had decided that she could wait to give Tony the lecture that they both knew was going to happen.  
"Yeah.." Tony lifted the girl off of the floor and held her as he stood up. "Jarvis, call the emergency room and warn them of our arrival."

"Yes, Sir." The computer replied promptly. "Might I add that I tried to warn you of the young Miss Stark's actions for the past forty five minutes."

"Thank you, Jarvis," Tony sighed. Pepper glared at him, barely containing herself from yelling at her boss for his irresponsible behaviour. Tony looked over at her, he shifted the child in his arms so he could carry her more easily. "I had headphones on the whole time, Pepper. I didn't hear a thing." He quickly stepped over to one of the cars parked in the huge workshop, which doubled as a garage. "We're going to have to talk after all of this," he said as he set the little girl in the back seat of the Audi R8, the closest car to him, and buckled the seat-belt.

"I agree," was all Pepper said, she walked to the driver's door and held out her hand to Tony. "I know you've been drinking." Tony pulled a set of keys from his pocket and dropped them in the hand without a word. He climbed into the passenger seat as Pepper started the car and pulled out of the workshop. She exited the building and started down the winding road to town, a trip she had made a few times with Tony in the passenger seat. Thanks to Iron Man's exploits.

"Wuts a arc reekter?" The girl in the back broke the silence that they had been driving in until now. Tony raised his eyebrows, he had thought Alexis had fallen asleep.

"It generates the power to run a magnet in my chest, keeping shrapnel from reaching my heart." Tony explained, not having to worry whether the girl would understand what he was saying. He wondered how he would explain it to Pepper after they had got Alexis to the hospital. For the first time ever really, Tony regretted his drinking. He had before, on the mornings after a really late party, but not like he did at the moment. He looked back at the girl in the back seat, she seemed so small and helpless. He didn't think she'd actually drink any of the alcohol.

"You're going to be in a lot of trouble tomorrow," He said to the child. The little girl shifted her gaze down to her shoes, without making a noise. He tried to ignore the glare that came from Pepper, he knew he was in trouble as well. Tony didn't think he'd ever look at a bottle the same way.

"The press is going to love this.." Pepper muttered to herself as she shoulder checked before making a lane change. She tried to keep her mind on things that she could solve, like issues with the media. He hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, as she focused on the road ahead of her. She had a feeling that the little girl would be fine, she didn't seem to be in dire need of a trip to the hospital. But that still didn't stop Pepper's anxiety.

"They don't have to find out, they don't every time I'm in the hospital." Tony continued to check back on Alexis, making sure she was still all right.

"Ohh they'll find out about this, they always do with the big stuff." Pepper turned left and brought the car to a stop in the hospital parking lot. "But we might be able to convince them it was something else.. a high fever maybe.." She trailed off as she brainstormed reasons to take a child to the emergency room, one that didn't have any long term effects; Such as a cast or a long stay.

"We'll think of something," Tony got out and opened the back door. He lifted the girl up into his arms, she rested her head on his shoulder wearily.

"I'm sorry.." Her voice was muffled against his T-shirt. She held onto his sleeve with one fist, her other arm was draped over his other shoulder. Tony sighed and smoothed down the child's unruly hair, a gesture he remembered from his own childhood.

"I am too," he said quietly, hoping Pepper didn't hear him. He looked up and saw her briefly smile endearingly at him, he knew that she had heard. They walked briskly to the sliding doors of the hospital, the waiting room was nearly empty. Just a few people sat around. Both looked like the perfect example of terrified parents, in very different ways.

"We have a child that needs to see a doctor right away," Tony looked to Pepper, who was already taking charge of the situation. The man at the front desk glanced over to the nearly unconscious child in his arms. He picked up a stack of forms and handed them to Ms. Potts.

"What are the symptoms?" He asked, grabbing another form for himself.

"She got into the liquor cabinet, we aren't sure how much she drank before we stopped her." Pepper tried to sound as professional as she could, but couldn't keep the hint of panic out of her voice. The man nodded and quickly summoned nurses and doctors to the scene.

Alexis found herself being hurried down a hall on a stretcher, something she might have enjoyed if she hadn't felt so sick. Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts were both on either side of the moving bed, her plan wasn't suppose to end up with a trip to the emergency room. She noticed the looks of concern she was getting from both of them and couldn't help but feel even more guilty. There was one doctor who kept talking and she finally realized that it was to her.

"Huh?" She let her head tilt back to look at him, her mouth hanging open.

"Alexis, can you tell us how much you drank out of the bottle?" The doctor asked, for the third time. He spoke loudly and slowly, checking the child's pulse as he did.

"Ummmm, like disss much," she raised both hands and spread them about two inches apart. She continued to stare at her hands as the doctor said something else. She vaguely noticed that they had come to a stop in a room, she looked around and saw a nurse approaching her with an IV. "Noooo! No no no no no no!" The little girl squirmed and tried to get off of the bed, she couldn't stand needles.

"Hey, shh.. It's ok," Tony reached out and pulled Alexis into a hug, effectively stopping her from squirming. She whimpered, letting the nurse do her job. Pepper reached out and let her fingers brush through the mess of black hair atop the child's head. Alexis clung to Tony and somehow fell asleep.

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PS: I still really need a title!! Please help, I am not good at naming stories


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, but my muse for this story has finally returned :D

Thanks to everyone for the great reviews and suggestions for a title, they helped my out a lot. Sorry for the short update, but don't worry cause the next chapter is almost done!

As always, please review.

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All she could feel was pain. Her head throbbed, her stomach felt like she had just eaten a handful of rocks, and as much as she tried, she couldn't keep sleeping. The dazed girl struggled to pull herself into a sitting position. She rubbed at her still sleep filled eyes, trying to make out the blurs around her.

Tony sat slumped over in a chair across from her, fast asleep. Alexis regarded him carefully before pushing off the thin white hospital blanket that covered her. She slipped off of the narrow bed and landed softly on the linoleum floor beneath her. She noticed Tony was wearing just an old T-shirt and jeans. For some reason she was having a bit of trouble remembering how she had got to the sterile white room. She began to walk through the events in her mind, and gradually recalled what had happened.  
Alexis frowned, she couldn't help from feeling guilty. Tony had been so nice to her, he had taken her into his home, and even adopted her as his own. She couldn't really blame him for needing some time alone to think things out. She walked up to him, standing by his knee, and reached out to nudge his arm with her hand. He let out an intelligible mumble, and the child tried again, pushing him with some force.

"Wha!? I'm up!" Tony sat straight up and looked around the room with wide eyes. He saw the girl standing next to him and let himself relax again. Pepper had a real temper whenever he had fallen asleep in board meetings. "You're awake," He commented. "How do you feel?"

"Like everything in my stomach turned to cement," She paused and picked at a loose thread on the arm of the chair Tony occupied. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," Tony grunted. "Pepper was ready to kill me, it took two hours to calm her down."

"Sorry," mumbled the child once again. She continued to pick at the chair as though it was the most fascinating thing in the room. "I understand if you want to send me away.."

"We'll talk about that later," Tony sat up straighter, beginning to wake from the nap he had been taking. "But you won't be going anywhere for a long time, you're grounded." Alexis looked up at Tony in shock; he stared back, actually managing to look stern. "For now we're going home to get some real sleep." The child looked around the room in search of a clock. There was one behind her, above a sink, she was surprised that it read one o-clock. It was late.

Alexis nodded her head slowly, too surprised to say anything. She felt a tug on her arm and grimaced when she noticed the IV was still attached to her. A small whimper escaped her throat.

"I hate needles.." The girl managed to squeak, holding her arm out away from her body. Tony sighed and stood up.

"I hadn't noticed," He rolled his eyes, sarcasm thick in his voice. He lifted Alexis up and set her back onto the narrow hospital bed. "I'm going to go get a nurse, you just stay here." She nodded her head, and he left the room.

Alexis sighed again and looked around the barren room. While Tony was gone she began to realize what he had meant. He wasn't going to send her back to the military, at least that was something. He was defiantly treating her differently. It was apparent to the girl that things were changed and while she was glad that the truth was out, she wasn't sure if she would like the new way Tony was treating her.

Tony strode back into the room, followed by Pepper instead of a nurse. Pepper approached the small child sitting on the edge of the bed and swinging her jean clad legs back and forth. She looked up to the woman nervously, wondering if she knew the truth about her yet.

"Alexis Stark, could you please tell me what you were thinking?" Her tone was deceptively calm and business like, it worried the girl.

"I don't know," her reply was barley more then a whisper, she continued to kick her legs out back and forth. Pepper took a deep breath, obviously to calm herself, and reached out to still The child's legs. She held them in place with one hand and lifted her chin so she was forced to look her in the eye.

"Now Alexis, you're old enough to know what is off limits to you," The child squirmed under her gaze. "Why did you drink the alcohol?"

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again," Alexis quickly blurted out, wishing she could just walk away from the room.

"I know you won't," She had never heard Pepper so angry, not even at Mr. Stark. She was keeping her voice even and quiet, it was worse then if she had been yelling. "Now answer my question." Alexis looked to Tony, who was watching the exchange with interest.

"Well," She started quietly, she tried to look away again, but Pepper turned her head so that she was looking her in the eyes. "I told Mr. Stark that I wanted to talk but he went to the workshop any-ways and I said that I would drink it but he didn't care and left so I did it so that he'd HAVE to talk to me and not just drink." Alexis took a deep breath after blurting out the long sentance. "But then I just poured it down the drain cause I really didn't think of that first.. then you came in and now everyone hates me.." She trailed off sadly. Pepper straightened and let out a small sigh before looking back to her boss.

"All right Alexis, we'll talk about your punishment in the morning." The girl just nodded her head, worried about saying anything that might get her in even more trouble then she was currently in. "I'll go sign release papers and bring the car around. You can bring out Alexis. Mr. Stark?"

"I thought I was in charge here," Tony had a hint f a smirk on his face, though he was trying not to make light of the situation. Pepper gave him a look, one brow raised as she waited for him to speak. "That sounds fine, Ms. Potts." He cleared his throat as he looked away from the not too happy woman. She walked briskly out of the room, just as the nurse entered. Alexis had a suspicion she had been right outside listening the whole time.

"Okay, Miss Alexis," The older woman said as she stepped over to the child. "Hold out your arm so I can take the IV out." She grabbed a band-aid off of a nearby counter. Alexis closed her eyes tightly and did as she was requested, wincing as the needle slid out of her arm. "All done." The nurse said as she put the band-aid in its place. "All right, Mr. Stark, you can take your daughter home."

"Thank you," Tony said as he lifted Alexis off of the bed and set her on the ground. "Lets go, Alexis." She followed him out of the room as the nurse cleaned up and prepared for whoever might use the room next.

"I'm tired," she said softly as she followed behind him. She was struggling to stay awake and rubbed at her eyes sleepily. She looked up to the man who had taken her in, he towered far above her, he seemed so big from three feet off the ground.

"It's pretty late, we'll be home soon," Tony said without glancing back. He was busy thinking about everything that had happened during the day. He hadn't had too much time to earlier due to the trip to the hospital. But he was still struggling with the thought of the child he took in being an adult.

"Will you carry me?" Alexis asked softly, and when Tony didn't reply she assumed he hadn't heard her. She sighed and continued to drag her feet behind him. He stopped and turned to look at her, she had never asked to be carried before, or held, or any request that a normal child might have. She gazed up at him and tentatively lifted her arms in a gesture to be picked up. Tony hesitated a moment before reaching forward and scooping her into him arms. Neither of them said anything as he began to walk down the hall again, both unsure of what to do.

Alexis gave up, too tired to think. She threw her arms around his shoulders and buried her head against the crook of his neck. Breathing in the scent that was only him, she felt safe if only for a short time. Tony tensed as the little girl cuddled up to him, he slowly reached up and ran his hand over the shaggy mop of hair on her head. In an attempt to both smooth it down and to provide some comfort to the child. He exited the hospital, hoping that the media wouldn't know about the trip for at least a few days. Pepper was waiting at the entrance, car running. He opened the back door and put the already fast asleep girl into the seat and buckled her in before closing the door and getting into the passenger seat.

"Pepper, there's something I have to tell you.." Tony said as he glanced back at the child, making sure she was really asleep.

"Tony, I'm tired, can't it wait for the morning?" The red head sighed as she drove them both to the mansion. She wasn't looking forward to the drive back to her own apartment.

"Not really, I mean.. I'm not sure how to deal with it." He sighed. " I need your opinion." Pepper glanced at him briefly, a bit surprised. She nodded her head, he sighed again as he thought of the best way to explain it.


End file.
